Alison Redford to unveil mystery bill after Alberta Throne Speech

CALGARY — The newly elected Redford government is expected to introduce a mysterious bill during a brief sitting of the legislature this week.

The legislation, dubbed Bill 1, would focus on one of the campaign promises made during the recent election, House leader Dave Hancock said Tuesday.

“I can [say], but I won’t. That’s the premier’s prerogative,” he added.

Bill 1 is expected to be tabled after Thursday’s Throne Speech.

Political observers were bemused.

“It’s very odd. In a parliamentary system, you need to give advance warnings of bills,” said Keith Brownsey, a political science professor at Calgary’s Mount Royal University.

“They should at least let people in on their little secrets.”

He suggested the mystery legislation could deal with healthcare or funding.

Prof. Brownsey said it was strange the government — which was heavily criticized for being opaque during the campaign last month — was withholding this kind of information. He suggested the secrecy could be part of a public-relations attempt to build suspense.

At least two high-priority bills initiated by Premier Alison Redford remained unresolved when the election writ dropped in March:

• A drunk-driving law that would increase penalties for drivers who blow above .05. This is expected to roll out this summer.

• An amended Education Act. Its initial version upset many Christian home-school groups by requiring programs of study to respect the Alberta Human Rights Act.
Dave Cournoyer, who writes a popular blog on Alberta politics, said he was baffled by Bill 1.

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“[Ms. Redford] made a lot of campaign promises, but there weren’t a lot of promises about legislation; it was a lot of funding commitments,” he said. “She talked about a lot of stuff, but what kind of firm commitments did she actually make?”

His guess was the bill would deal with health care or municipal funding.

“The cities had a big role in getting the Tories re-elected,” he said. “So there could be something major in it for cities.”

Rob Anderson, a Wildrose MLA, said the government usually gives the opposition notice about upcoming bills, although it is under no obligation to do so.

“This is top secret, I guess,” he said. “I have no clue. Jeepers, honestly I have no clue.”

Ironically, Bill 1’s are “usually pretty useless,” he added. “Usually, it’s just a symbolic gesture of some kind that doesn’t really need legislation to do it. I wouldn’t expect it to be anything large.”

Also Tuesday, the Alberta government announced a special advisor would be appointed to oversee the expansion of Highway 63 to two lanes both ways.

Nicknamed the “Highway of Death,” the road connecting Edmonton to Fort McMurray has been the site of 46 deaths since 2006. Most recently, seven people, including two children, were killed in a head-on collision.

Ms. Redford appointed Mike Allen, the local Tory MLA, to advise the Minister of Transportation on how to speed up construction.

Residents of the boom town must share the highway with heavy trucks carting industrial equipment to and from the oil sands, often leading to tailbacks and frustrated drivers.